


Better

by LanceMcLame (orphan_account), tbg



Series: The Adventures of the DirkJade Canoe [2]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-31
Updated: 2014-01-31
Packaged: 2018-01-10 16:25:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,036
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1161937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/LanceMcLame, https://archiveofourown.org/users/tbg/pseuds/tbg
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dirk: Pose.<br/>Dirk: Make the pretty girl cry from how pretty you are.<br/>Dirk: Wait, what?<br/>(Or how you learned to stop worrying and love the bombshell)</p><p>Dirk Strider, acclaimed model and brother of recently single-by-his-own-choosing Dave Strider, assists his friend, recently single-by-Dave-Strider's-choosing, Jade Harley with her art assignment.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Better

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, I'm aware of the hiccups I'm currently having with the pesterlog formatting, and I will resolve to solve them at a non past-2 am time of day.
> 
> Also go read the first in this series if you haven't yet.  
> Kinda sets the stage, so to speak.
> 
> Good luck.

tipsyGnostalgic [TG] began pestering timaeusTestified [TT]

TG: hey   
TG: dork  
TG: lol accurate  
TG: but nanyway i gotta tell u somethin  
TT: Yes?   
TT: I mean, I am somewhat preoccupied with waiting for Jade but yeah, shoot.  
TG: see thats the thing   
TG: u gotta make sure u dont upspet her  
TG: *upset  
TG: cause ur douche bro did that alredy  
TG: an shes worried enough about seein u as it is  
TT: I am aware of my bro's severe inadequacies, yes.   
TT: But yeah, I'll take definitive caution not to let slip something like "So Jade, how goes being dumped for a chance to get with a blind chick with teeth similarly sharp to my awesome swords?"  
TG: if yuo say anythin even close to that   
TG: well  
TG: lets just say well find out how sharp those awsome sords rlly are  
TT: Rox, you are a master of sarcasm detection.   
TT: No worries though, she's a nice girl.  
TT: God knows why she went for my bro though.  
TG: yeah yeah watevs   
TG: be nice! :I  
TG: at least to her, who cna say for your bro  
TT: You know me, I'll behave.   
TG: those two things dont go together   
TT: Shit, man. I thought you had more faith in me.   
TT: Feels like a totally awesome sword through the heart.  
TG: dude dude shes litrally like on her way over   
TG: so less typin an more posin pretty boy  
TT: No worries, I'll hear her walking when she gets near.   
TT: Checked the acoustics when I got here, I could hear a declawed mouse pissing on a sponge on the other end of the hall with how this place is set up.  
TG: jfc i did not need that vislual   
TT: I can hear the mouse now.  
TT: Yeah. Uh huh. Yes.  
TT: She says you're drunk before noon on a Saturday and that you have no room to judge.  
TG: AN MOT   
TG: uh  
TG: mayb a lil  
TG: but still  
TT: Roxy, don't let the mouse get to you.   
TT: She's just teasing.  
TG: ok stop w the mouse   
TG: focus  
TG: u got a rlly cute rlly sad girl comin 2 see u  
TT: Okay, okay.   
TT: And I don't see what the cute has to do with anything. She's my bro's ex.  
TT: Off-limits.  
TG: shes still cute   
TG: im datin someon n i think shes cute  
TG: johns her bro n he thinks shes cute  
TG: tldr shes cute af  
TT: I don't get your secrecy, Rox. And my brother dated her for what, 2 years?   
TG: 3   
TT: Jesus, I need to get back in town more.   
TG: dirk ur gettin distracted again   
TG: rember the cute upset girl  
TT: I didn't forget the cute girl.   
TT: I was merely remarking on my rather busy schedule, and that it's a miracle I was able to reschedule the shoot I had today to do this for her.  
TG: didnt she ask u to do this like a month ago   
TG: you plan that far ahed  
TG: god danm  
TG: *damn  
TT: About 3 weeks ago actually.   
TT: Why? Did she mention it to you earlier or something?  
TT: Also yeah, busy man here. Lucky if I get any time to myself at all, these days.  
TG: no of course u wer she brought u up as soon as she got the project   
TG: i had to convince her to ask cause she thought itd b weird  
TT: I don't think it'll be that weird.   
TT: I'd use the colliquial "What could possibly go wrong?", but even the mouse knows how that'd work out.  
TG: again w the mouse   
TG: stoppppp  
TT: Oh look, the mouse is telling me Ms. Harley is arriving.   
TG: just rmember im watchin u   
TG: *rembemer  
TG: *ugh fuck it  
TT: I'd expect nothing less.   
TT: Tell Jane I say hello.  
TT: *Wonk.*  
TG: yea nows not the time fr this   
TT: Better prepare myself. Later, Rox.   
TG: be nice!!   
TT: Always am. 

tipsyGnostalgic [TG] quit pestering timaeusTestified [TT]

You don't know what she's worrying about. You've always been good to ladies, no matter the situation. Didn't even hesitate when a few weeks earlier, your lil' bro's (then) girlfriend asked you to model for her since you're the only model she knows apparently. Who'd have thought?

It was an empty classroom when you walked in a little bit ago. A long career of misunderstood times and shoots running longer than expected have conditioned you to arrive to every event around 15 minutes early, just in case the photographer was a blowhard who thought saying "Be here by 10." means "Be here, made up, and in the clothes by 10 so we can start exactly then." You took a seat on a desk. No teacher around to yell at you for it, might as well. Besides, a casual lean looks way cooler than sitting in a desk like a child.

Not that you're worried about looking cool.  
Ok, in hindsight, you might have gone a little overboard today. Pulling out your best suit, a gift from a certain designer of Italian descent, was a bit more than a college modeling gig probably needed. Of course, it's a lot more than your last college modeling gig, but then again, you did get paid a lot more than the humble gift of a lunch then too. The glasses were standard though. Handbuilt body, professionally blown tinted glass lenses taken to a point at the top outer corners towards your ears, and a singular set of handwritten initials on the left side. Many an executive had tried to get you to lose your trademark pointed shades, but as of recently, they've started realizing how much of your image it makes up.

Now they just try to get you to model their own varieties of your personal design. You casually decline and take note of who to sue if you see that particular copy online.  
Speaking of modeling, how long is it going to take her to get in here? She started walking down here ages ag-"Good morning."  
And there she is. Buck-toothed wonder, lackluster miracle of dentistry, the crowded canine conundrum, the treacherously too-oh hell, forgot to say hi.

“Hey, Jade,” you put out quickly, smooth as ever.  
In your experience, the best way to bring up a recent heartbreak is to not. If they want to talk about it, it'll usually come up from them naturally.  
“How are you, Dirk?” she says as if how she is isn't the more important question.

Hmm, no allusions to your brother yet. You decide to lather on the charm like the nonexistent mayo in your fridge to see how she reacts.  
“Well, a pretty girl asked me to model for her, so I’m feeling pretty good about myself,” you say as if you were already planning on saying it somehow which you may have been from the start but who could say really.  
Really.

“Oh, really? You have another appointment today?"  
Ouch, and there's the first self-deprecating comment. Hopefully the last. Wait, laugh so she doesn't think you actually do have another, idiot.  
There we go, she smiled back. You know, those teeth, for all the teasing you're sure she got for them, well: she makes them work.  
Uh, for a dorky artist at least.

“Funny. Anyway, shall we get started?” you present in the "I'm not trying to rush or anything but we clearly can't spend all day making small talk." way.  
Also the "I wasn't kidding but you probably won't get that part from the way I'm saying this sentence." way, but that's less important.  
She agreed, and had you sit on a different desk with your back to the only window in the room. She starts asking you things left and right. Sit like this, turn just so, look more down that way, the usual look of perfection people want from you.

“Could you take off your glasses?”  
Oh, that's. That's gonna be a bit more difficult. You begin formulating one of many excuses you've prepared to respond to this oft asked inqu-“Or at least slide them down a bit, and look up at me?”  
Ah Harley, you're a godsend.

You do as she asks, and she looks approvingly on. “That’s perfect.”

“I know I am.” Didn't even have to think about that one, that's been your default response to that for years.

She puts her easel up in front of a nearby desk, and sits to begin sketching. You start to watch her sketch, but as usual, you zone out after a little while.  
You think about future projects, fantasize about your ideal glasses and projects, notice Jade is about to cry, feel shame about your one guilty pleasure: we-Wait, Jade's about to cry?

You break your cardinal rule and get up from your previously perfect posture to attempt to comfort Jade, who's by now gone into full-blown tear dropping mode.  
You put your arm around her and ask, “Hey. What’s wrong?” She rubs her eyes and manages to get out, “I-I just… I keep thinking of him.”

Ah, there it is.  
Alright, Strider. Time to break into helpful mode. “I’d tell you it’s alright, but I know you don’t wanna hear that bullshit, so I won’t. I’ll just say I know how you feel and leave it at that.” That's more than a little true.  
But you're certainly not discussing that, mister "Gosh gee golly, I met a girl with deoxygenated blood or something and we're going to get married and become scholar pirates.":  
... Fuck, your eyes hurt and you can barely see with the lack of light in here anyway. Off with the glasses anyway.  
She's still crying. You should probably say something more comforting.  
“And I’m here for you, okay? If that’s not too weird.”  
Yeah, that went great. Good work, man.

“Thank you,” she said in hushed tones.  
Huh. Good work, man?

She really shouldn't be thanking you though. You shouldn't even have to do this. You know you should have taken a more serious role in raising him right when you  
were growing up. He should know fucking better than to do something like this, and he knows it. You'll have to remember to send him something for his troubles. Ideally starting with a Lil and ending wit-Wait, having a conversation.  
"Don’t thank me. I’m just doing the right thing. Dave’s an ass if he can’t see how amazing you are. And I meant what I said earlier, about a pretty girl asking me to model for her. I meant you.”

Well, you did. You weren't exactly oblivious to Jade's charms, even if you played it for years.

She looked up at you after you said that. Shit, there's that one big reason you always keep your glasses on.  
Once you see someone's eyes, you're hooked on them, big time.  
And once they see yours, well. They're at least curious.  
(In the future, this is where you realized you were completely hopeless.)

Like you said, bro's ex.  
Definitely off-limits.  
No way.  
Beyond all doubts.

Definitely.

And you keep saying that to yourself right as you lean in and kiss her.

The kiss goes on for a couple moments, nothing majorly scandalous or crazy.  
And then you realize, you shouldn’t have done that. Should not have done that.

“You shouldn’t have."  
And you said it to her as well, apparently. Great work, Strider.  
Well, there goes the possibility of her ever liking you again.

Wait, she's...  
Laughing?  
Not like a proper sitcom joke laugh, but a soft laugh. The short kind. Like remembering a good SNL skit.

Well you figure nothing you say can matter now, you might as well ask. “What’s so funny?”

“You. Us. This situation. You shouldn’t have kissed me, but… I’m glad you did.”

Oh.  
That's.  
Complicated?

Well you know, that could mean anything.  
Except it couldn't mean she wants to do it again. Not at all.  
“Does that mean I can do it again?” Why would you say that, you idiot, the answer is clearly n-

Mmm.  
You could get used to being proven wrong.  


**Author's Note:**

> Well as you may or may not have noticed, I've been roped into writing a POV of Dirk from the recently released Guns n Poses saga.  
> So yeah. That happened.
> 
> Props to that one yips-like-chihuahua lass for being a kickass Roxy to bounce off of. the opening log wouldn't have been nearly that long if she hadn't been all good at Roxying.
> 
> Farewell, good day, and happy travels.
> 
> Now playing: 初音ミク vs Skrillex [恋は戦争×KYOTO] by DJ TAKUYA and Where Were You When I Was Falling In Love by Lobo


End file.
